Huskers Fall to Stanford in Season Opener

By NU Athletic Communications

| 02/22/2008

Mitch Abeita homered in NU's loss to Stanford.

Photo by Scott Bruhn/Nebraska Communications

Stanford, Calif. – Mitch Abeita homered while Jake Optiz drove in a pair of runs, but it was not enough, as the Nebraska baseball team fell to Stanford, 17-7, Friday afternoon at Sunken Diamond in the season opener for both teams.

Abeita got the Huskers on the scoreboard with a solo shot, as Nebraska totaled all seven runs and eight of its nine hits in the final three frames. Optiz drove in a pair of runs with a two-run single, while Cody Neer, DJ Belfonte and Nick Sullivan also enjoyed multi-hit days in a losing effort.

The Huskers (0-1) spotted Stanford an 8-0 lead through three frames and were forced to play catch up the rest of the afternoon.

Cord Phelps powered the Cardinal offense, going 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBIs, as the Cardinal pounded out 16 hits against three Husker pitchers. The homers were the first two of Phelps’ career.

Phelps got Stanford on the board in the bottom of the first, leading the game off with a solo homer to left to spark before Jason Castro’s two-run double highlighted a five-run first inning off Nebraska starter Thad Weber.

That was more than enough for Stanford starter Jeremy Bleich, who allowed one hit – leadoff single by Neer in the second – over six innings of work. The left-hander struck out four and left with the Cardinal holding a commanding lead.

Weber was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs on eight hits in just three innings, as Nebraska dropped a season opener for the first time in seven years.

Castro, Zach Jones and Jeff Whitlow and Brendan Domaracki also drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinal, who scored five in the first, three in the third, four in the fifth and five in the sixth.

MEDIA NOTE: Because of the forecast for Saturday, the start time has been moved to 3 p.m. (central)